Toads.
Sort of like frogs, but not really. We have both around here, and I like them equally.
Yet, there is a big difference. You can’t get very close to a frog. They skid away at the sight of us. But toads? You can sit right down next to a toad and tell it your life story if you like. They don’t seem to mind us as far as I can tell. So long as we don’t encroach.
There are many more differences between frogs and toads. Frogs are total jumpers. Olympic style. But toads just sort of hop along at best. Amblers. Little hoppers.
Toads live on land as adults, as opposed to frogs, which are water dwellers. But toads are born in the water from a string of eggs. And then they take the high road.
And here is one more thing. Frogs have teeth. I’m not sure if they would bite you or not. But not toads. They are toothless wonders.
There are 300 species of toads on the Earth. So you never know who you might meet. And. They can live to be 40 years old, so they might have a story to tell you too.
If we listen.
Listening is often something we take for granted. It is common that people often hear what is being said. But. Hearing is a lot different than listening. To listen, we need to make a conscious effort — not just to hear what people are saying — but to take it in, digest it and understand.
If we listen well, we have a better chance of truly understanding the person and their situation or need. We open ourselves to experiencing empathy — to understand and share the feelings of that person.
Some could argue it is the most important based on our basic human need to feel understood.
We become wiser when we listen, even though we may have preferred to talk. And I believe it is one of the most sincere forms of respect — when we actually listen to what another has to say.
So tomorrow, I may just find a good little toad and listen to what she might have to say about the last forty years of her life. Before she croaks.
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There is a difference between listening and waiting for your turn to speak.
— Simon Sinek
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Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the thing you can’t hear, and not bothering.
— A. A. Milne
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You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.
― M. Scott Peck,
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I toad you so. You heard, but did you listen?
